Sunday, 1 March 2026

STOP BLAMING FEBRUARY

 



I was thinking this morning… Phew! February finally ended yesterday and we have majestically marched into a new month. But wait o — what has February done to deserve such a bad reputation?

I once quoted the pidgin proverb that says, “na overconfidence make February no complete.” Only a few days ago, while celebrating a friend’s birthday, I even wrote in my prayer, “Despite say your birthday na for February wey no complete, may your pocket be full like December.”

Why all the negative vibes about February being “incomplete”? To make matters worse, my beloved dad chose February to “travel.” That alone could make anyone side-eye the month. But is February truly the villain we make it out to be?

History tells us that when Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, restructured the Roman calendar to align with the 12 lunar cycles, the new year had 355 days. Because Romans considered even numbers unlucky, most months were assigned odd numbers — alternating between 29 and 31 days. But to make the math work, one month had to take the “unlucky” even number: 28. February was chosen.

Why February and not March, May, or January? History doesn’t give us a dramatic reason. It was simply selected. No fault. No crime. Just chosen.

And that is where this reflection truly rests. There are many people like February — individuals who, through no fault of theirs, seem to carry the shorter end of the stick. The blame. The stigma. The hardship. The loss.

I once read a painful story of a struggling single mother of seven in Warri who, out of sheer desperation, abandoned one of her sons at Igbudu Market while pretending to fetch money for garri. The boy cried and wondered, “of the seven of us, why me?” There was no special reason. No unique offence. He was simply the one chosen in that desperate moment.

Life sometimes works that way. Some families carry burdens no one sees. Some employees take blame for systemic failures. Some children grow up under labels they never earned. Some months get mocked for being “incomplete.” But being shorter does not mean being lesser.

So to every “February” out there — those who feel unfairly singled out or were chosen without explanation — you are not defective. You are not unlucky. You are simply part of a bigger design you may not yet understand. Let’s stop using February as a bad example. Because sometimes, what we call incomplete is simply unique.

Psalm 139:14 (NIV) says “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Like everything in nature, nothing is a mistake.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy New Month!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Sunday, 22 February 2026

LOOK OUT OF THE WINDOW




I was thinking this morning… I returned from a trip to Abuja late on Friday, completely scorched and dehydrated by the city’s harsh weather. Honestly, the heat is no joke—anyone who works outdoors there deserves serious respect. I got home eagerly looking forward to the comfort of my air-conditioning.


A few minutes after settling in, the power went out. You know how it is—NEPA took light. My inverter kicked in immediately, but the AC wasn’t connected to it. I wasn’t too bothered; power outages in my area rarely last more than an hour unless there’s a major fault.

One hour passed. Then two. Then three… and four.

Eventually, I resigned myself to a long, uncomfortable night. The fan wasn’t delivering the relief I had hoped for. As I lay there, it struck me that something felt off—I wasn’t hearing the familiar hum of generators from neighbouring houses. Curious, I looked out of the window. To my surprise, everywhere else had light. It turned out the problem wasn’t a general power outage at all—I had simply run out of electricity units. All that while, I had assumed everyone else was experiencing the same discomfort I was.

That moment taught me a powerful lesson: not everything happening to you is happening to everyone. Some challenges are personal, not general.

Yes, things can be hard—but that doesn’t automatically mean everyone is struggling in the same way you are. If I hadn’t looked out of the window, I would have continued blaming the wrong cause and stayed stuck in darkness and discomfort.

So, are you dealing with a disappointment, or you are in darkness? Look out of the window. Take steps to restore your light. And if you observe your neighbour is in darkness out of ignorance, help him to see the way to regain his light. Like a candle, you lose nothing by helping to light another candle.

Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Sometimes, clarity begins with simply looking out of the window.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Sunday, 15 February 2026

Killing A Killer

 


I was thinking this morning.... The rate of evil in the world is increasing. Stealing, scamming and ritual killing have assumed a frightening dimension. While some vices are carried out under the influence of illicit drugs, which by the way has become an epidemic, others na with their korokoro eyes.

When a killer kills again and again, do you kill the killer to reduce the number of killers in the world? When you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world remains the same. Pause and think about that statement. Killing a killer will protect his next victim, but it doesn't reduce the number of killers in the world.

When you show love to someone and that person repays you with hate or evil, do you stop loving? As the world celebrated St Valentine's day yesterday, I wondered why evil is increasing rather than love. Be reminded of the words of Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Let love rule. Kill a killer with true love.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Sunday, 8 February 2026

STRENGTH IS KNOWING WHEN TO WALK AWAY

 


I was thinking this morning… We grew up in the Ogboru area of Warri at the time. Our neighbourhood had its fair share of jaguda and boma boys—ruffians who thrived on intimidation and violence.

As young boys, we mostly minded our business, but there were moments when these boys bullied and oppressed us. On one such occasion, my dad tried to intervene, and to my shock, these uncouth boys dared to insult him.

As a young boy, I expected my dad to respond with force—to smack them and defend his honour. Instead, he calmly pulled us into the house and warned us to stay away from the jagudas and focus on our studies. I felt disappointed then. It seemed to me that he had chosen weakness over strength by not giving violence for violence.

Many years later, after we had all graduated from the university, those same area bullies were mostly dropouts who had made little of their lives. Looking back, it became clear how easy it would have been for my dad to react in anger. But that reaction would likely have drawn more violence toward us—his prized jewels. He understood that it was better to remove us from danger and break the cycle of violence than to protect his pride or ego.

As I began to raise my own children, I often remembered that incident and taught them that not every violent situation in life deserves a violent response. I didn’t fully grasp the depth of that lesson until recently, when I came across a Senegalese proverb that says:

“The day a mosquito lands on your testicles is the day you will know there is a better way of resolving issues without using violence.”

My dad was a man of peace—one who walked away from trouble whenever he could. In the winter seasons of my life, I always remember the many lessons he taught me, keeping me warm till summer comes. I remember my dad again today in a happy way.

As the Scriptures say in Proverbs 10:7: “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.”

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Sunday, 1 February 2026

PERSON WEY DEY PURGE (PT 2)

 


I was thinking this morning… Sometime last year, I was craving bole and fish and decided to patronise one of the shops at the Elakahia bole and fish market in Port Harcourt. Being my first time there, I was spoiled for choice, as every shop had a salesperson trying to convince me to patronise them.

After selecting from the bole and fish on display, they placed them on the open-air charcoal grill while I waited. Thereafter, they cut the bole and fish into a large bowl, added palm oil pepper sauce, and sliced utazi leaves to enhance the flavour of the dish.

On getting home at about 4pm, I rolled up my sleeves and, layer by layer, levelled the bowl, washing it down with a chilled bottle of malt drink. I went to bed at about 9pm that night feeling heavy and bloated. By 1am, I was woken up by a grumbling stomach and a strong urge to use the toilet. Between 1am and 3am, I visited the toilet 13 times and almost passed out from dehydration. The purging no get part 2.

I never knew the five metres distance between my bed and the toilet seat was so long until that night. However, I was never tired of walking the distance, because person wey dey purge no dey tire to waka.

Some have suffered love purge, while others have experienced financial purge that made them walk distances they never imagined they could make.

Life has a way of pushing us beyond our comfort zones when pressure comes—whether from sickness, fear, love, finances, or uncertainty. In those moments, we discover strengths we never knew we had. Truly, when urgency shows up, excuses disappear. May we learn to channel that same energy we display during our “purge moments” into pursuing our dreams, solving our problems, and building better lives—before pressure forces our hands.

As the Bible reminds us: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Sunday, 25 January 2026

PERSON WEY DEY PURGE

 


I was thinking this morning… Sometimes, I really don’t understand how little attention we pay to our choice of words. A guy came to me some time ago asking for financial assistance. I understood his challenge and was willing to support him. When I asked how much he needed, his response deflated my spirit. He said, “Only ten thousand naira.”

Really? Only ten thousand naira? If ten thousand naira was only, why didn’t he have it? I wondered. Could our habit of qualifying a sum of money as “only” have come from the days of writing cheques, where we ended every amount in words with “only”? Na wa o!

As I reflected, I recalled the Nigerian proverb that says, “Person wey dey purge no dey select toilet.”

Ehn! Have you ever travelled on a road trip and had the misfortune of developing a running stomach? God help you. After shouting, “Driver, stop, stop!” you dash out of the vehicle to the nearest—and probably only—available toilet. On getting there, you discover it is dirty, maybe just a hole in the ground that you have never used in your life. Do you walk out and ask for another one? Never! You ignore the dirt and immediately squat to relieve yourself. You know why? Person wey dey purge no dey select toilet.

It was this picture I had in mind when my boss told me about a young lady who had done her NYSC with us some time back. After searching unsuccessfully for a job, she approached my boss for help. “Sir, I really need your help with a job o, even if it is a contract job.”

Like, seriously? “Even if?” Person wey dey purge dey select toilet? At this point, she was purging and should not be selective—or definitely not in any position to give conditions.

Sometimes, life puts you in a position where you have no choice but to accept what is available, not what is desirable. At such times, you have to be mindful of how you present your request, because using words like only and even if gives the impression that you still have options.

The oyibo man says a beggar has no choice, but I would rather say: person wey dey purge no dey select toilet. Proverbs 21:23 admonished us to watch our words.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Sunday, 18 January 2026

LIFE IS A DIFFERENTIATOR



I was thinking this morning… Late last year, I had reason to visit an old classmate, and I rode with another classmate for the trip. As we sat in his SUV catching up, my mind drifted back to our school days.


We were three close friends—hardworking, studious, and intentional. We attended lectures together, studied together, and usually sat in the top quartile of the class. We all had big dreams of excelling and making our mark in our chosen careers. Interestingly, we earned the same first degree and M.Sc., and our drive looked very similar.

But life had different scripts for each of us. Two started strong. One joined a multinational as a management trainee. Another began a promising career in a major bank. The third started more modestly as contract staff in an oil company. Then life began unveiling its package. Decades later, our outcomes are very different.

My friend who went into banking suffered a terrible motor accident a few years into his career. That single event changed his life forever—his career was cut short, his marriage didn’t survive it, and he never fully regained his physical fitness. My second friend rose quickly through the ranks, became a senior manager, but was forced to retire before age 50. He later went into business and is doing fairly well today. The third friend remained a contract staff for 10 years before securing a permanent role—where he still works today.

All three gave their best. All three worked hard. But life was the differentiator. And every time I speak with the friend who received the toughest blows, I do so with deep admiration. Life showed him pepper—and he made pepper soup from it. Despite the setbacks, he embraced resilience, reinvented himself repeatedly, and survived. Today, he has set up a consultancy to help others—drawing from what I can only describe as a rainbow of life experiences. He may not be the most financially buoyant among us, but he is truly living.

As I look into 2026, one lesson stands out: How you start may not be how you end. If you’re starting slow, keep building. If you’re starting strong, stay grounded and maintain momentum. Because what happens to you matters—but how you respond matters even more. Romans 9:16 says: “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”

Stay hopeful. God’s got our back.

Happy Sunday.

…Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey